MST-8

Red Mill Road South to Hickory Hill Boat Ramp

This was a pretty straightforward hike, crossing under I-85 and turning around at a pretty boat ramp on Falls Lake, but oh my, the trail was often water-logged.

I did not like the way this hike began, with this section of road that narrowed into a bridge crossing with very little shoulder.

Always a relief to be off the road and into the woods!

My cousin-David-who-knows-cars thought this was a Fiat 125/128 or a Mazda or an Alpha Romeo sedan.

Between the cars in the woods and this gate to nowhere, it’s clear this land was once inhabited. I think it’s interesting to try to imagine the family that lived and worked here. My grandparents lost their Montana farm during the Depression, and I wonder if people look at their abandoned log cabin on the prairie and wonder about them…

Mount Landfill.

Newcombs Lake is also accessed by a dirt road for fishing. It’s cold enough today for my warmest sweater, knitted many years ago with love by my mom!

My first active railroad crossing!

Slosh slosh slosh….

The trail came out on quiet Redwood Road, and the double dots made it easy to find where to re-enter the woods in about 100 yards.

In the west the signs usually say, “Pack it in, pack it out” or “Leave no trace.” My personal injunction is: “If you can carry it in full, you can carry it out empty!”

There were so many soggy sections of trail, that I really, really appreciated the occasional bridge or boardwalk.

The underpass for I-85 was a complete mud-fest. Absolutely no way to avoid traipsing through all the sliminess.

This “Right of Way” marker probably indicates the easement boundary for nearby I-85.

Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica) is an undesirable invasive species that is toxic to livestock. But it’s sure pretty in the dead of winter.

A little rustic, but very helpful!

Hickory Hill Boat Ramp was my turnaround point, at MST mile 27.2.

I’m always surprised by how few water birds there are on Falls Lake. I only saw one Great Blue Heron along the shore.

This was my last hike before Christmas.

I’ll be back on the trail in 2024!